Round 11, Beater 2: Love Em or Hate Em
Optional Prompts:
#3: (colour) Ivory
#5: (character) Draco Malfoy
#15: (object) piano
"What Wasn't Told"
It's a well-addressed theory that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry to be bisexual. It's a theory that has hit every corner of the fandom and everyone who has read the books has considered it at least once. The way he describes Cedric Diggory and the way his hatred towards Draco Malfoy is an inch away from being a love-hate relationship.
During the scene at the Yule Ball, all that is truly addressed is the setting and the drama among the main characters. What J.K. didn't address was the quiet moments. During the slow songs where Harry was sitting on the sidelines, what was he doing? Or more so, who was he watching?
Harry and Ron sat, slumped against the fountain as they watched the rest of their classmates dance to one of the more upbeat Weird Sisters songs. The flashing lights (professionally done by Professor Flitwick) shone an array of different colors across the faces of the other Hogwarts students. Harry looked over at his friend and considered why exactly he was sitting where he was instead of out dancing with his other friends.
Ron turned to the brunet. "A load of idiots, aren't they?" He asked loudly so that Harry could hear him over the music. It seemed to be more to himself than to his friend. He scowled pessimistically as he looked back towards the smiling and laughing faces. Harry pondered on the question; why does having fun make them idiots?
After a few more moments of wallowing in their own self-pity, the upbeat song came to an end and a slower came on. The lights went from their quick-changing bright colours to switching slowly between calm tones of blue and pink.
The students scattered, some remaining on the dancefloor and finding partners to slow dance with, while others spread to the outskirts of the room, finding a place to sit and take a breath. Harry's eyes flicked from person to person, appreciating how nice everyone looked. They really tried hard for this, he thought to himself, slightly angry at himself for doing nothing more than putting on some dress robes.
As his eyes moved to different classmates, one classmate in particular caught his attention. A tall blond in simple black and white robes made everyone else fade into the background. Harry's breath hitched in his throat. He would never admit it out loud, but Draco Malfoy looked stunning.
Harry admired the boy for a few more seconds before Ron's voice cut through his daze. "Bloody git, isn't he?"
"What?"
"Acting like he owns the place like he always does, it's awful," Ron ranted. "Like he's superior or something. He's no better than the rest of us. I wish he would just get expelled for being an utter git."
Harry found himself unable to agree with the redhead's statements. If Draco was thrown out, who else would he spend all of his time fighting with and ogling? There was nobody else in Hogwarts who managed to draw his attention quite so easily, other than Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang, perhaps.
Draco sat at the piano, looking over the ivory keys with a strange emotion taking over him. He remembered his mother teaching him how to play the piano, many years before he even came to Hogwarts. A much simpler time, he thought to himself.
His fingers brushed the keys, not pushing them down enough to play anything but hard enough for him to feel as if he was playing. The false song he began to play was the very song his mother used to sing to him as a child.
A hand touched his shoulder and he paused his song to see it was. Pansy Parkinson, his date to the ball, was standing there, smiling gently at him. He had liked her for a while and had been very happy that she had accepted his invitation to join him at the ball. It was, after all, a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"What are you doing?" She asked, seeming confused at his behaviour.
He turned back to the piano, his fingers still touching the ivory keys. He thought for a moment on what he truly was doing and it only took a moment to decide. "I'm just remembering something from a while ago. I'm not living in the moment."
"Well, what are you waiting for then?" Her hand was held in the air, reaching out to him and inviting him to dance. He smiled, glancing between her delicate hand and beautiful face, before taking her hand.
She led him away and onto the dancefloor, bringing his hands to her waist and clasped her own behind his neck. They swayed along to the song, simply letting themselves get carried away from the music. As the seconds passed, they drew each other closer and closer until they were borderline hugging. If Draco had opened his eyes during that moment, he would have seen a pair of wide green eyes staring at him desperately wanting to let their feelings out.
But his eyes didn't open. He decided to live in the moment.
Harry watched as Draco and Pansy danced, envy filling his heart as he watched the way his hands were wrapped around her waist. Their every movement was appraised by his careful emerald eyes.
His attention was forcefully removed from the dancing couple as he heard the voices of both his friends shouting at each other. He turned to see Ron had left his side and had gone and started a row with Hermione about something or another. He stood up, ready to run to his friends, but something made him pause.
He turned back to the dance floor, stealing one final envious glance at Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, before turning and running to see what was going with his friends.
If only my life could be so simple, he thought to himself. If only we weren't destined to be enemies. If only I could hold him like she does...